Root Vegetable Mash (Celeriac)

We already know how delicious the potato and sweet potato are but it’s the lesser known celeriac and parsnips that make this dishes shine. Celeriac, or celery root, is a kind of celery but grown as a root vegetable. It is low in starch and tastes mildly of celery. It gives a nice earthy subtlety to the dish. Parsnips are sisters to the carrot but lighter in appearance and slightly sweeter. When cooked, they are buttery and just a wee bit spicy. The mash gets extra love from garlic infused half-and-half and butter. Oh hello lover. It’s just enough to make the dish rich and velvety and lick-your-spoon worthy.

1 medium sweet potato
1 small celeriac (celery root)
2 medium parsnips
2 large red potatoes
⅓ cup half-and-half cream
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 Tbsp. butter
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Peel and dice the sweet potato, celeriac, parsnips and red potatoes. The celery root and parsnips take longer to cook so place them in the water first and boil for 10 minutes. Then add the sweet potato and potato to the pot and cook until done about 20 more minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small pot, warm half and half and garlic cloves over medium-low heat. Bring to a bare simmer and then, cover and turn off the heat to infuse while the veggies cook.

Drain the water from veggies and place cooked vegetables in a food processor fitted with the blade. Add the half and half along with garlic cloves, butter and a pinch of salt and pepper to the processor and pulse until the vegetables are smooth and puréed all the way through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm.